Recently I went to India for the first time. What a wonderful place!

I was (and still am) fascinated by the colors, the smells, the bustling business everywhere. The general feel was of vibrant aliveness.

Because my primary objective was not photography, I decided to carry only a Canon G9, not a DSLR. I figured that because of the generally intense sunlight, I would not have to do much high-ISO shooting, so image quality would be acceptable. I also figured that I would deeply regret the shots that I would loose because of this decision.

Well, I was right on both counts. Most pictures were taken in sunlight so bright that sensor density (i.e. the number of f-stops between the highest and lowest levels of light that can be discerned) was the limiting factor, not sensor sensitivity.

And I lost a number of shots because the G9 is so much slower than a DSLR. Try riding in a 3-wheeler cab through dense urban traffic with the driver going like the devil is breathing down his back and then you see an elephant in the fray … by the time the autofocus had gained focus, we were well and truly on a different street.

I am still rather pleased with the results and in all honesty, since the G9 was just small enough for me to have it with me literally all the time, I probably got some shots that I would not have gotten with a DSLR because the bigger camera would have been in the hotel room or in a bag.

Decide for yourself what you think, there are more images in this gallery!

Boy flying a kite

Oxcart delivering ice

Shrine to an unknown deity